“The Path of the Heart” is the dreamlike tale of the artist Inari Kuko, a fictional character and the protagonist of the feature documentary of the same name. This film builds a bridge between Spain and Japan through their two most ancient and emblematic pilgrimage routes: the Camino de Santiago and the Shikoku Henro.
Inari walks both paths, delving into the search for the meaning, origin, and spirit of the word, using shodō as her vehicle. It is a reflection on the meditation of walking and on the process of perfection in the bunbo shiho, the four treasures of calligraphy: fude (brush), sumi (ink), suzuri (inkstone), and washi (paper). During her journey, she connects with pilgrims, monks, artisans, and calligraphers, who give voice to this universal story about the inner quest and the power of the word.
The artist is the alter ego of the creators of this story: Carla Cañellas and Eugenio Tardón, who have brought together their passions for shodō and photography in this project.
This exhibition is composed of three parts: drawings, photographs, and video installations. Additionally, the exhibition includes a promotional video of the film, which will premiere in early 2025.
Carla Cañellas’ expression is translated into eighteen drawings and an animation where the ink outlines the soul of emptiness, completing its forms with subtle and minimal strokes of absolute Japanese influence. The importance of the unique and immediate brushstroke speaks to us about the value of observation in the moment, the here and now.
Eugenio Tardón’s vision is distributed across three series of photographs. First, he offers a dissection of the Iroha, a Japanese poem distinguished for being a perfect pangram, created by the monk Kūkai (774–835). The second series of eight photographs is a triple exposure of the pilgrimage paths and their details, opening a three-dimensional window to both cultures. The last series consists of sixteen images of the hands of the artisans of the bunbo shiho, establishing the atmosphere of the meditation on their creations.
The coexistence and dialogue between both artists are embodied in the various video installations that complete the exhibition. Through visual poetry, they contrast ancient techniques and philosophies with literary, scientific, and social references, to generate and question in the viewer who the observer is and how they observe.
Thus, “The Path of the Heart” unfolds as a bond between worlds, uniting tradition and creation in an intimate and universal dialogue. In this convergence of cultures and perspectives, each stroke and each image invite us to reflect on the connection between the ephemeral and the eternal with the depth of those who walk inward.
